Before this handsome hardcover first volume arrived from Amazon, I was unfamiliar with Korean Admiral Yi Soon Shin, a figure like Daniel Boone or Alexander whose daring, unlikely adventures propel him necessarily toward larger-than-life myth. Yi Soon Shin saved his countrymen by repelling a vastly superior Japanese invasion force in the 16th century.

Timpano and De Los Santos’ art has a numinous, back-lit gorgeousness. Its aesthetic and moral clarity combine to force our gaze past all the banal clichés that have drained the term the “horror of war” of its force. The devil is always in the details, and here we are shown his features — a young woman ordered to undress for the convenience of all the soldiers who intend to rape her, helpless prisoners used for target practice, a mother shot straight through the head while she is holding her small son to shield him from harm. This is what pitiless invaders are like in the real world, then and now. And this is why we really require heroes, rare though they are.

But Yi Soon Shin, as presented here, was one — clear-eyed about power, rational, brave and empathetic, poet, philosopher and warrior. He’s Horatio Hornblower in the East. Plagued by the menacing might of Japan without and treacherous, psychotic military rivals within, this protagonist must muster everything he has within himself to survive.

DAK is a publisher and former writer for Marvel and DC comics, and the book begins with a laudatory introduction by his old friend Stan Lee. The plaudits are well earned. Although a kind of docudrama, not a fantasy, this story — with its dream-colored exotic uniforms and its romantic melodrama — is ideal for the comic book form. Blackmail, betrayal, romance, suicide missions, sexual intrigue, ninja, straight-talking vernacular, gay samurai, cliffhangers, dragon ships and archenemies who were supposed to be dead — they make a rich brew worthy of being sipped and savored.

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Why Odin's ravens?

Perched on the shoulders of the Norse god Odin are the pet ravens Huginn and Muninn, whose names mean “Thought” and “Memory.” At Odin’s bidding, they fly across the face of the world and bring him knowledge. In the 13th century Poetic Edda, Odin reveals that he fears that they may not return from their daily flights. He has pampered his pets by rewarding them with the ability to speak, and it’s truth that they tell, even though the Raven is, of course, a Trickster.

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"This article contains a significant amount of intelligence, analytic fact, common sense and eloquence. If you suffer from a 'freeze-dried' FOX News brain or enjoy a Rush Limbaugh lifestyle of blissful ignorance, avoid reading, as it may be hazardous to your health. A major side effect is thoughtful reflection." — Ian McDonald

Copyright

I love crows and ravens for their wisecracking voices and for that black-on-black gleam of sagacity in their eyes. They figure things out. They see us. They know us for what we are, which is why they keep a wary distance but remind us, with their taunts, that they are not overly impressed.